Foot accelerator



Dec. 28 1926.

H. J. COCKS FOOT ACCELERATOR Filed Now 5, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Jwezzzfll' 257 a (543? My r FOOT ACCELERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov.5, 1926 Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

HARRY'J'. ooo'iis', or EES'IJEOINES, IOWA, lrssrsuon no METAL PRonUo i-sCOIVEIPANY, or

has norms, Iowa. l

room eoonnnnnron.

Application filed November The object of my invention is to provide afoot accelerator of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

one or" the purposes of my invention to provide such a foot acceleratorwhich can be installed on acar an accessory or installed in the factoryduring the original manufacture of the car.

Another object is'to provide s eh a structure as willaltord a positiveactuation of the throttle valve.

Still another purpose is to provide a foot accelerator having its partsso constructed and arranged as to afford direct and positive connectionbetween afoot actuated pedal or member and a throttle valve arm and toatford an auxiliary connection between the hand throttle control rod andthe throttle valve of the carburetor, the parts beingso arrangedas topermit the control of the throttle valve directly from the foot pedalwithout actuating the hand throttle but which will permit the use oi thehand throttl'e' in the ordinary way;

an additional objectis t'o-provide a foot accelerator and means formounting it which will not involve such wear on the toot board of a caraswill permit the parts to get out ot adjustment or to bind.

Another object is to provide such an" accelerator which is quickand easyto install;

Still another object of the present invention is to pro* ide atootaccelerator which can be readily and easily attached upon any Ford caremploying the so-called Holley hot spot carburetor.

It is further my purpose to provide in such a foot accelerator, a numberof novel features of structure in various parts of the device.

An additional and special object of the present invention is to providea structure so arranged that the foot accelerator portion may beoperated without actuating the hand accelerator portion and the handaccelerator portion may be operated without operating the footaccelerator portion.

With these and other objects in view, my

invention consists in the construction, ar-

5, 192 6. Seria1 No-.- 146,419.

rangeinent and combination otthe various parts of my device, whereby;the'objects contemplated are attained, as hereinat'ter'more fully setforth, pointed out in'my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying.drawings, in which:

Figure'l is apersPect-iveview of the' foot accelerator.

Figure 2 is-a-similar view of a: portion of another form of myaccelerator which is the preferred form.

Figureil is a top or planview of the portion of an automobile equippedwith' a foot accelerator, the dash being. shown in horizontal section.

Figure 4: is a side elevation of the engine equipped with a footaccelerator, the dash and floor board being shownin' vertical secion.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side" elevation, parts of the device beingvshown in section and parts being omitted, and taken on the line' 55 ofFigure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional-view of part of the mounting.

Fi -ure7 isa sectional view taken on the line (-4 of Figure 4, and

Figure 8' is a detail sectional view taken on the line 8+8 of Figure 5.-

ln the drawings herewith in whichI have illustrated my improved tootaccelerator and portions of the automobile'upon which it is installed, Ihaveused the' reference numeral 10 to indicate generally the engine ofan automobile such as a Ford.

The engine has the intake manifold 11 and the exhaust manifold 12.- Theengine is equipped with what is known as the Holley hotspot carburetorwhich is indicated generally by the reference character A and has thefloat chamber 13, the hot plate let and the air iixing chamber 10 inwhich is the throttle valve.

Thethrottle'valve 15 is of ordinary construction and has the stem 16 onwhich is the usual arm 17 and the projecting: st'op or limiting" lug 18.The arm 17 has at its upper end, the opening19 from which projects theshort sleeve 20asshown in Figure 7 Projecting from the arm between thehole 19 and the valve stem 16 is a flange 21 in which is mounted anadjustable stop screw 22. By actuating the arm 17 the throttle valve iscontrolled.

1 have shown in order to illustrate the environment in which myaccelerator is used, the car dash 23 and foot board 2st. Extendingthrough the foot board are the timer control rod 25, the steering rod 26and the hand throttle control rod 27.

On the hand throttle control rod is an arm 28 as shown in Figures 3, atand 5. The parts just heretofore described are the usual equipment ofthe car and themselves do not form my present invention.

In the car as put out by the factory a connecting rod is extendedbetween the arm 28 on the steering hand throttle control rod 27 and thethrottle stem arm 17. This rod is indicated at 29 where my structure isconnected with the arm 28 in the manner hereinafter to be described.

I will now describe my improved foot accelerator and explain the mannerof its installation on the car.

I will describe first the means for actuating the throttle valve withthe foot. 1 provide a bell crank lever 30 shown in Figures 1 and 4. Thisbell crank lever is pivoted on the carburetor in the following manner.The hot plate 14; is bolted in place by means of series of bolts 31.

One of these bolts is removed and inserted through a suitable bushing 31in one arm of the bell crank lever 30 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 6to permit free swinging movement of the bell crank lever in asubstantially vertical plane.

A foot control rod 32 has one end bent as at 33 and extends through theother end of the bell crank lever 30 as shown in Figure 1. A cotter pin3a is put through the end 33 of the rod 32 to hold it against accidentalremoval.

Instead of being straight the rod 32 is bent to clear the adjacent partsof the engine and is extended rearwardly and upwardly through a suitablehole 35 ano the floor board 24.

At its rear end the rod 32 is connected with a foot pedal whichcomprises a floor bracket 36 having the holes 37 to receive bolts orscrews or the like 38 for fastening it to the fioor board. The bracket36 has the parallel upstanding ears 38 receiving the pin or the like 39.

A. foot pedal member has a pair of downturned ears etl at one endoverlapping the ears 38 and having the pin 39 extending through them.The foot pedal 40 may be provided with a rubber pad 41-2 if desired.

At its forward portion it has a clownturned ear or lug 43 provided witha hole i l to receive an offset end 45 of the rod 32. Through the end 15is extended the cotter pin a5 for holding the rod in place.

The central portion of the bell crank lever 30 is connected with thevalve stem arm 17 in the following manner. 1 provide a special fittingwhich is shown best in its preferred form in Figure 2, comprising aplate 17 having a hole 18 to receive the sleeve 20 on the arm 17.

The plate l? also has a pair of fingers 19 extending around the arm 17for thus holding the plate against rotation on the sleeve 20. In theplate a? is formed a curved slot 50. Pivoted to the central portion ofthe bell crank 30 is the offset 51 and end of the rod 52. The other endof the rod 52 has an offset portion extended through the slot and bentover as at 54- to prevent accidental movement.

vl 'hen the throttle valve is closed, the plate 47 will be in theposit-ion shown in Figure 2 and will hold the rod 52 at its upper limitof movement for thereby holding the bell crank lever 30 and the rod 32in such position as to maintain the foot pedal 10 in raised position.

i i? ien thereupon the foot pedal is pressed downwardly toward the footboard, it actu ates the rod longitudinally and rocks the bell cranklever on the bolt 31 for moving the rod 52 and thus actuating the plate47 and the throttle valve stem 17 for opening the throttle valve.

It will be noted, however, that nothing has been described so far toreturn the plate 17 and the arm 17 to valve closing position. The meansfor accomplishing this and the means for providing for hand throttleoperation will be described, after first describing the slightlymodified form of the device shown in Figure 1.

in this foot accelerator instead of this plate 1'? I use a fitting 55which has a hole 56 similar to the hole 43 for receiving the sleeve 20and has the fingers 57 for fastening the fitting 55 to the arm 1?. a

The fitting 55 has an offset finger 53 through which the bent portion54: and the offset portion 53 of the rod 52 are inserted as shown inFigure 1. bi lion either form of my device is used, I provide a spring59.

The hooked end 60 is secured to the central portion of the bell cranklever 30 as by extending it around the end 51 of the rod 52 and issecurely anchored to some support as to the bolt 61. where the form offitting shown in F igure 5 is employed the connection between the rod 51and the bell crank lever is pivotal instead of slidable.

The spring 59 tents to hold the throttle valve in closed position aswell as to hold the foot pedal 40 in raised position.

here the plate at is used, the spring, 59 serves to=hold the foot pedalinraised position.

When the plate at is employed, it will be understood that the parts areso constructed and arranged that when the spring 59 is fully contractedand the foot pedal 40 is raised and the throttle valve is closed, theend 53 of the rod 52 will rest in the left hand end of the slot 50 asshown in Figure 2.

I will now describe the means for hand operat-ionof the throttle valveand connection therewith and will describe the means for holding thethrottle valve normally closed under pressure when the plate l? isemployed.

Extended through the arm 28 on the hand throttle rod 27 is a bolt or thelike 62. I provide a bracket 68 having an offset arm 64 mounted on thebolt 62 as shown in Figure 1.

The offset portion G l is inthe same plane as the main body of thebracket The bracket 63 is provided with an elongated slot 65. In the endof the bracket 63 opposite the offset portion 64. is a short flange 66.

A hand actuating rod 29 is provided with a bent end 68 extended throughthe hole 19, sleeve 20 and the hole 56. A cotter pin 69 h his the end 68against accidental removal. The other end of the rod 62 is extendedslightly through a hole 70 in the flange 66 (see I igures 1, 2 and 8)and terminates in a bent portion 71 projecting through the slot 65. p

On the portion 71 is a washer 72 beyond which the cotter pin 73 isextended through such portion '71. To better hold the rod 6. and guideit on the bracket 63, I provide a fitting in the form of ashort plate 7i shown in Figures 1 and 8. This plate 74 has at one end a hole 75through which the bent portion 71 is extended and has at its other endthe spacedfingers 76 receiving between them the rod 29.

The plate 74- is wide enough so that it will not slip through the slot65. IVhen the plate 4'? is employed as a part of my foot accelerator andI prefer the form using it, I mount on the rod 29 between the flange 66of the bracket 63 and the fingers 76, a coil spring 77 which tends toyieldingly hold the bent portion 71 at that end of the slot 65 nearestthe arm 28.

The two forms herein described are the same except that in the preferredform I use the plate a? and the spring 77 whereas in the other form Iuse the fitting 55 and omit the spring 77.

I will now describe the practical operation of my foot accelerator firstin the preferred form and then in the other form.

It will be understood that the hand throttle control is ordinarilycarried in position where the throttle valve is closed. l/Vhen the handthrottle control rod 27is in'th is position the arm- 28 thereon will bein the po sitionshown in full lines in Figure 2 and as shown forinstance in Figure 3 and Fig ure 5. I

The spring 77 will then hold the rod 6"? at the right hand limit of itsmovement as shown in full lines in Figure 2 and as shown in Figure 3which will hold the throttle valve closed with the plate I? in theposition shown in full lines in Figure 2.

When it is then desired to operate the throttle with the footaccelerator for opening the throttle valve and supplying more fuel totheengine, the driver presses his foot on the pedal ac. The rod 32 is thenmoved downwardlyand forwardly thus imparting rocking movement to thebell crank lever 80.

The rod 52 is carried with the bell crank lever 30 and its end 52)engaging the plate a? in the left hand end of the slot 50 as shown inFig. 2, pulls the plate at? and the arm 17 to a throttle openingposition. This, o'l' course, moves the rod 67 longitudinally.

Such movement of the rod 67, however, imparts no motion to the handthrottle control rod b ause of the usual cooperation of the hen throttlecontrol lever and sector on the steel .ng wheel but not here shown,

The tension onthe spring 7'? is not sutiicient to slide the bracket 63against the resistance of the sector on the ordinary hand throttlelever. When the pressure on the foot pedal 40 isreleased, the spring51') raises the foot pedal 40 and the spring 7'?" moves the'rod 6? fromits dotted line position shown in Figure 2, to its full line positionand thus actuates the throttle valve toward closing position.

If it is desired to operate the throttle valve from the hand controlmechanism, it. will be noted that when the rod 27 is rotated in theordinary and well known way, the bracket 63 will he moved toward theleft from its full line position shown in Figure 2, by the rocking ofthe arm 28 carrying with it the rod 67 and actuating the throttle valvetoward open position.

The plate will slide with relation to he rod 52 without actuating thatrod and therefore without tensioning the spring 59 or eifectingthe footthrottle control mechani'sm other than the plate 47.

This feature of the operation of my de vice, I believe to be novel.

It is therefore, observed that my foot throttle control mechanism can beoperated without rotating the rod 27 or affecting the arm 28 and thatthe hand throttle cont'oi. mechanism can be actuated without a feet thefoot control orchanism.

When the fitting 55 used, the spring 77 is unnecessary. The operation ofthe accelerator is the same as that described for it when the plate 47is used excepting that the fitting 55 always moves with the rod 52 andwhen the pressure on the foot pedal is released the spring 59 not onlyraises the toot pedal but also serves to actuate the rod 52 and thefitting for closing the throttle valve.

I claim as my invention:

1. in combination with a carburetor having a mixture control valvelever, a throttle control. rod having a throttle lever thereon and a rodconnecting the levers, a foot accelerator comprising a foot pedal foractuating the valve lever, a slide member pivoted to said throttlelever, said slide member having a slot therein and a perforated ear onone end, the second rod being mounted. slidably through the ear and inthe slot and means for maintaining said end in the slot.

In combination with a carburetor having a mixture control valve lever, athrottle control rod having a throttle lever thereon and. a rodconnecting the levers, a foot accel orator comprising a fitting adaptedto be cured to said valve lever whereby the fitting and the lever form abell crank lever, a spring tor actuating the fitting in one directionand a toot pedal. for actuating it in an opposite direction, a slidemember having a perforated ear and a slot, said second rod extendingfrom the valve lever through the ear and into the slot whereby thespring maintains the portion of the rod in the slot at one end thereofand actuation ot the foot pedal will move that portion away from saidend of the slot and means for pivoting said slide member on saidthrottle lever.

3. in combination with a carburetor having a mixture control valvelever, a throttle control rod having a throttle lever thereon and a rodconnecting the levers, a foot accelerator com 'irising a fitting adaptedto be se cured to said valve lever whereby the fitting and the leverform a bell crank lever, a spring for actuating the fitting in onedirection and a foot pedal for actuating it in an opposite direction, aslotted slide member pivoted to said throttle lever, said second rodhaving one end bent at substantially right angles and extending throughthe slot, a keeper between sa d rod and the slide member, said keeperhaving er s for encircling the rod and a perforated end to receive thebent end of the rod.

in combination with a carburetor having a mixture control valve lever, athrottle control rod havinga throttle lever thereon and a rod connectingthe levers, a toot accelerator comprising a fitting adapted to be scured to said valve lever whereby the fitt ng and the lever "form a bellcrank lever, said fitting having an enlarged opening and said valvelever having a hub which is received in said opening, ears on saidfitting for encircling the valve lever, a spring for actuating thefitting in one direction and a foot pedal for actuating it in anopposite direction, a slide member having a perforated ear and a slot,said second rod extending from the valve lever through the ear and intothe slot whereby the spring maintains the portion of the rod in the slotat one end thereof and actuation of the foot pedal will move thatportion away from said end of the slot and means for pivoting said slidemember on said throttle lever.

In combination with a carburetor having a mixture control valve lever, athrottle control rod having a throttle lever thereon and a rodconnecting the levers, a foot accelerator comprising a fitting adaptedto be d to said valve lever whereby the fittin and the l ver form a bellcrank lever, fitting having an enlarged opening and said valve leverhaving a hub which is re ceived in said opening, ears on said fittingtor encircling the valve lever, a spring for actuating the fitting inone direction and a foot pedal ior actuating it in an oppositedirection, a slotted slide member pivoted to said throttle lever, saidsecond rod having one end bent at substantially right angles andextending through the slot, a keeper between said rod and the slidemember, said keeper having ears for encircling the rod and a perforatedend to receive the bent end of the rod.

o. in a structure of the class described, the combination of a throttlevalve, valve stem and arm thereon, with a bell crank lever pivoted atone end, a foot pedal pivotally supported at one end, a rod pivoted tothe other end of the pedal and to the other end of the lever, a linkpivoted to the bell crank between its ends and to the arm and a springarranged to normally hold the pedal raised.

7. in a structure of the class described, the combination of a throttlevalve, valve stem and arm thereon, with a bell crank lever aivoted 21Lone end, a foot pedal pivotally supported. at one end, a rod pivoted tothe other end of the pedal and to the other end oi the lever, a linkpivoted to the bell crank between its ends and pivoted to the arm forlimiteal sliding movement, means for normally holding the pedal raised,a hand throttle control rod, an arm thereon and means for operativelyconnecting said last arm with the valve arm and a spring arranged tonormally hold the pedal raised.

8. In a structure of the class described, the con'ibination ot athrottle valve, valve stem and arm thereon. with a bell crank leverpivoted at one end, a foot pedal pivotally supported at one end, a rodpivoted to the other end of the pedal and to the other end of the lover,a link pivoted to the bell crank between its ends and pivoted to the armfor limited sliding movement, means for normally holding the pedalraised, a hand throttle control rod, an arm thereon and means foroperatively connecting said last arm With the valve arm and a springarranged to normally hold the pedal raised by a yielding slidahleconnection.

9. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a throttlevalve, valve stem and arm thereon, with a hell crank lever pivoted atone end, a foot pedal pivotally supported at one end, a rod pivoted tothe other end of the pedal and to the other end of the lever, a linkpivoted to the bell crank between its ends and pivoted to the arm forlimited sliding movement, means for normally holding the pedal raised, ahand throttle control rod, an arm thereon, a bracket pivoted to saidlast arm having an elongated slot and a perforated flange, a rodconnected with said first arm, extended through said perforationandhaving an end slidahly mounted in said slot, and a spring tending tohold such end at one end of the slot.

Des Moines, Iowa, October 28, 1926.

HARRY J. COCKS,

